Monday, September 22, 2014

Hey everyone! I am very excited for this particular post as it is my first time doing a swatch and review for an independent nail polish brand! Jodi of Nail Polish Indie Brand was looking for bloggers to send samples of her polishes to in exchange for some honest reviews of them. I volunteered and here we are! How cool is this? I feel like a REAL nail blogger now!!

Okay, onto the lacquers in question! Jodi asked me to pick 5 polishes that I wanted to try so this is not a cohesive collection or line of polishes - just randoms. In the collage at the top of the page you see all 5: Peridot Wings (top left), Magma (middle left), Barbie Girl (bottom left), Mystery 4 (top right), and Penni (bottom left). Overall, I have to say this about Nail Polish Indie Brand - their customer service is amazing, they are very communicative, and the shipping was very prompt. The polishes arrived very well packaged so as not to break and each polish was in its own little decorative bag. How cute is that? All of her polishes are 5 free, meaning they do NOT contain:

Toluene

Formaldehyde

DBP- Dibutyl Phthalate

Formaldehyde Resin

Camphor

They are all hand mixed and manufactured in the United States. Alright, on to the individual polish reviews.

The first polish I swatched was Peridot Wings from her Skylanders inspired collection. This swatch shows 3 thin coats, no top coat. It almost feels textured with no top coat. It is a green jelly polish full of peridot glitter that is absolutely stunning when the light hits it. The formula was a tiny bit tricky because of how much glitter is in this polish but if you take the time to do thin coats with a few minutes in between to dry, its not too bad! I was thinking during the application process that this would make a nice topper as well because it glows in the dark. All in all, a fun and unique polish.

The second polish I swatched is called Magma and its from the same collection - Skylanders inspired collection. This polish is like nothing I have ever seen before - an orange jelly base with holographic bar and micro glitters. The swatch shown here is 2 thin coats and no top coat. I was thinking when I looked at it in the bottle that the glitter would be sparse but it wasn't at all. You could probably do one more coat and your whole nail would be glitter-riffic! A top coat is definitely needed to smooth everything out and make it really shine. It applied very easily - the formula is very nice on this one.

The next one I swatched was this gorgeous neon pink jelly with holographic glitter throughout. This one is called Barbie Girl and it lives up to its name! It is so perfectly pink and glitzy. The formula for this polish is also very nice - swatch shown here is 3 thin coats, no top coat. Just a perfect, girly shade perfect for the summer.

Of course, I saved my favorite two for last. This one is called Penni and its inspired by the character of the same name in The Big Bang Theory. This polish is a coppery mauve color that inside looks metallic and boy was I surprised when I went outside and it had a subtle linear holographic finish to it! This one is perfect for an time of the year but I am especially pleased to have it now because I will get a lot of mileage out of it for the fall/winter. I love a good holo that can be worn all year long! The formula on this one is a dream - two thin coats, no top coat. It went on like butter. I seriously cannot say enough good things about this polish. It is probably my favorite of the bunch!

Last, but certainly not least is called Mystery 4. When I ordered from Jodi, I was having a hard time deciding on my final polish and told her to make it a surprise. This one is like Christmas came early for me. I loved putting this one on and didn't want to take it off. You need some holo in your holo? This is the polish for you. This nudey-pink polish features a linear holographic finish with scattered holo glitter in it. I mean what could even be better than that? The formula on this one is also a dream - two thin coats, no top coat. I really could go on and on about how much I love this one!

Okay so that is it for the swatch and review. If you are interested in purchasing these lacquers, you can do so by visiting Nailpolishindiebrand.com. You can also follow Jodi's Instagram and let her know I sent you over! She is a doll!

Don't forget to check out my Instagram for future swatches and other manis as well!

Thank you for reading and happy polishing!

**Again, I was sent these products free of charge in exchange for my honest and unbiased feedback. You can read more in my Disclosure Policy.**

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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Today on the blog I've got French tips with a twist! I freehanded the white tip with Dermelect Opulence and stamped the whole nail with Sinful Colors Tempest using Cici&Sisi plate #6. I top coated with Inm Northern Lights.

If my nails weren't so stained, I would love this dainty, feminine look. What do you think of this look?

Today on the blog, I have another entry for #nailartsep - quatrefoil. This look was inspired by the amazing Christabellnails. This technique is harder than it looks! I'm still not happy with how it came out but I will have to try again.

Colors used to achieve this look are Zoya Envy, Orly Voyeuristic Adventure, and OPI Wonderous Star.

I was inspired by a friend on Instagram (check out @ineedamani) by her stamping over a holo gradient. I used Literary Lacquers More Like Fire Than Light, Butter London Trustafarian, Butter London Bit Faker and stamped with Sinful Colors Black On Black. I loved this mani!

Come on fall! Where is the cooler weather? It's still in the high 80's with 75% humidity here in Georgia.

Nevertheless, fall colors are my favorite and it's acceptable to start using them so I did the jewel toned mani with Ginger+Liz Bitch Slap and Stress Management, Dermelect Opulence and topped it all with INM Northern Lights top coat. It was my first time using this top coat and I'm hooked!

Still chugging along for #nailartsep! I'm so determined to make it to the end so I can make a pretty little collage. 😂

To achieve this look I used KB Shimmer Whole Lava Lovin', OPI 4 In The Morning, and China Glaze Create a Spark for the glitter placement on the middle and ring finger. The sun wasn't my friend that day so you can't see the holo on any of it but it was gorgeous! And glitter placement is beautiful but so time consuming. I don't think I'll be doing it again for awhile!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Yesterday's mani was an ode to fall. It's only a couple of weeks until the start of fall but it's so HOT! Fall is my favorite season so I did some fall nails to try to urge the season change along. 😃 the colors I used to achieve this look are Butter London Trustafarian, Butter London Sunbaker, and Zoya Tomoko.

A few days ago, I did a mani swap with my friend @theirishbeauty on Instagram. When I saw her distressed mani with a fish scale accent, I fell in love. Here is my recreation. The colors I used to achieve this look are OPI Moon Over Mumbai, LA Colors Atomic, Sinful Colors Why Not, Sinful Colors Black On Black, and Sinful Colors Nail Junkie. I hand painted the fish scales with a small detail brush.

Last night I did my moms nails inspired by a picture by @itsallaboutpolish that she found on Pinterest. The colors I used to achieve this look are Maybelline Deep In Violet, China Glaze Grape Juice, NYC Lexington Lilac, and Orly Silver Pixel.

Today on the blog is one of my favorite manis ever! To achieve this look I used Pure Ice Twinkle, NYC Pink Champagne, and Zoya Tomoko. Then I added studs from Five below on my pinkie and thumb. Rose Gold leaf midi ring is from Rue 21.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Today on the blog I have my submission for Day 4 of #nailartsep on Instagram - Cat nails! Inspired by a tutorial by @cutenailbar. Colors used to achieve this look were Orly Star Spangled, OPI Solitaire, Sinful Colors Black On Black and Snow Me White.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Today on the blog I have my submission for the first day of #nailartsep by Californails on Instagram. The prompt was "simple" so I laid down a base color of Orly Wild Wisteria and dotted Sinful Colors Tempest over all except the ring finger which is Zoya London. I'm still loving matte nails for the fall, so I left London without a topcoat and matted the rest of the nails. I'm really loving this one, except the Orly comes across navy in my pictures but it's actually a super deep purple.

What do you think of this look? Are you doing the #nailartsep challenge?